Year 7 Work BookletNorman England – Project two

Key word Definition

Hierarchy

Feudalism

Society

Loyalty

Harrying

Rebellion

Famine

Landholding

Tithe

Monastery

Archbishop

Chancellor

Excommunication

Can you find out the definitions to each key word?

Let’s do a little bit of revision

1) Name the four claimants to the throne of England in 1066.

3) Name one reason why William the Conqueror was a strong

contender to the throne?

4) Where did the Battle of Stamford Bridge take place and

who was involved?

2) What date did the Battle of Hastings take place?

Answer box:

Answer box:

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5) What are the strengths and weaknesses of using a sword in

battle?

Answer box:

What happened after the Battle of Hastings?

• After the Battle of Hastings, William still had to conquer England. He marched

from Hastings, crossing the Thames and towards London.

• Along the way, a few towns surrendered to William, which helped him secure

London.

• William wanted to be crowned King as soon as possible. His coronation took

place on Christmas Day, 1066 at Westminster Abbey.

• A fight had broken out between the Saxons and Norman soldiers outside the

Abbey.

• One of the problems that William had was that his soldiers could not

understand the language of the Saxons and the Saxons could not understand

the Normans, therefore it made them difficult for them to communicate.

Read the following problems below. Can you rank them in an order of importance from his most important problem (1) to his least important problem (4)?

England was a big country. There were still Vikings in the North of England and William was worried the Vikings would join with the English and fight against William.

William did not have any money and needed to pay his army so they would protect him. He did not know how much money people had and what land they owned.

Some of Harold’s army was in London and did not like William.

Some of the English lords were not happy that William was their king. William could not trust them to keep their areas under control. William needed to gain their trust in order to control the country.

How did William solve his problems?

Keeping control method 1: Knowing where you belonged in society and controlling land.

• William said that all the land in England belonged to him. England, however, was too large for him to manage all by himself though.

• William introduced a new hierarchy system that would help him still own England by sharing the land out in exchange for people’s loyaltyto him. This was known as the ‘Feudal System’ (land holding).

• Most of the people he lent land to had helped him in the Battle of Hastings. He was rewarding them for their help.

The Feudal System

What does the Feudal

System give them?

Is the Feudal System

positive or negative for

this group?

How does the Feudal

System help William gain

control and keep power

over this group?

King William owned 20% of

the land. 25% was owned

by the Church and the

rest was shared out

amongst William’s

supporters (200 Norman

barons and Bishops)

Barons and Bishops They were granted large

areas of land but they did

not own it. In return, they

swore loyalty to William

and also promised him

money and soldiers for

his army.

Knights A knight promised to be

loyal to their baron or

bishop in return for some

more land. Knights might

also be called a ‘LORD OF

THE MANOR’. They

served as knights in the

army and they granted

some land to peasants

who lived on their land.

Knights controlled day-

today life in their village.

Peasants They had to obey the lord

of their manor or village

in return for their land.

They also gave the lord

some of their crops and

worked a set number of

days on his land without

pay. They did not have to

swear loyalty as they

were considered as not

important.

Task: Complete the table below answering questions about William and how the Feudal System enabled him to keep control.

How much did society change for England?

Study the two pyramids. One pyramid shows what the social hierarchy system was like in Anglo-Saxon England and the other pyramid shows the Norman Feudal System.

The King owned most of the land. Some was owned by the Church. The king made laws along with the Witan.

The Earls had control of 6 Earldoms. The king owned the land, but the earls controlled it. In return, they promised to support the king. The earls shared out this land with their supporters, the Thegns.

There were over 4,000 thegns who looked after the land for the earls. In return, they paid some money to the earls and helped them by running the local courts. They also had to complete two months of army service each year to be part of the king’s army.

Peasants had few rights but they had to work on the land for 2-3 days a week and pay taxes to their thegns. Slaves were the property of some peasants and worked in return for food and shelter.

Anglo-Saxon

Hierarchy System

What are the similarities and differences between the two social hierarchies?

Similarities Differences

Can you complete the table using the information on the previous slide to describe what the similarities and differences of the Anglo-Saxon social hierarchy and the Norman Feudal System?

Which of these social hierarchies would have been the most effective of keeping control of its people?

I think the most effective social hierarchy that had control over its people was…

The evidence to support my view is…

This therefore had the most control over its people because…

Keeping control method 2: Castle Building

Why did William need so much control?

• Very few castles had been built in England before 1066. The only buildings that resembled castles in England were the Burghs (fortified towns) built in the 9th

century by Alfred the Great to defend the country against Viking raids.

• However, Burhs were built to defend the people whereas castles were built to impose Norman rule on the rebellious English.

• Castles were a vital part of William’s strategy to control England. When he landed at Pevensey (a place in the South of England), one of William’s first actions was to build a castle to help keep his position in England so he didn’t lose it to the Anglo-Saxons. Everywhere the Normans went, they built castles to show they belonged there.

• These castles were known as Motte and Bailey castles. They had to be built quickly and wherever the Normans wanted them.

Task: Look at the diagram below. Can you match up the key words to its correct definition? Drag the definitions under each key word.

The safest and highest part of the castle. The last line of defence.

Usually built by the local English people. About 15 metres high.

A large yard with storerooms, kitchens, stables and guardrooms.

The wooden fence surrounding the bailey

This led from the bailey to the stairs climbing the motte.

The entrance to the bailey, guarded by the baron’s soldiers.

How were these castles built?

First, the English were forced to dig a large round ditch. The earth from this was thrown into the middle to make a mound, which was for the motte.

On top of the motte, they built the castle, made of wood because the Normans were in a hurry to have their castles built in order to defend themselves from attackers.

They dug another ditch nearby and made a space for a large yard or bailey. Around the castle and the bailey, they put up a wooden fence.

Finally, they added a wooden bridge to link the motte to the bailey. They could do all this in a week if they worked quickly.

If houses were in the way, the Normans pulled them down. The Normans would usually make the motte by piling earth on top of people’s homes.

It was quick and and cheap to build castles like this, but they were not perfect. They were small. The wood could get damp and rot, or the enemy could set fire to it. Something stronger was needed.

What also encouraged William to build castles was to build near resources that keep control of an area to be successful.

Read the passage below. Can you highlight the strengths of building Motte and Bailey castles in red and highlight the weaknesses of building Motte and Bailey castles in blue.

What resources do you think William would need to be near in order to build his castles?• Near a water source for…

Task: Can you look at the map and read the information about it?

• It is the most important centre in northern England.• It produces large amounts of woolen cloth, leather,

armour and swords.• Good can be sent by road and sea to London.• Maintown houses a number of rich merchants.• 1000 people live in Maintain with several smaller towns

and villages within walking distance.

Site Are there any advantages to placing the castle at this site?

Are there any disadvantages to placing the castle at this site?

Overall, how effective would this site be in protecting Normans from attackers?

A

B

C

D

E

Task: Using the information from the previous slide, can you explain what the advantages and disadvantages are of building a castle at each of these sites.

Can you explain which site is the best location for building a new castle using the evidence from your table?

I think the best location for a castle is site____.

I think this because…

How did castles progress in Norman England?

• As motte and bailey castles were constructed out of wood, which meant they could easily be chopped or burnt down, the Normans created stronger castles.

• As early as 1070, a few lords with the time, money and a suitable location began to build their castles in stone. These were known as stone keep castles.

• If a castle’s outer walls were strong, sometimes the lord didn’t even bother building the keep. A lord would strengthen the curtain wallwith extra towers and build an especially tough entrance called a barbican or gatehouse.

• A second castle that developed in Norman England was the concentric castle. This was a much larger castle than motte and bailey and stone keep castles. Concentric castles would provide the defender with more opportunity to hurt any attacking force.

• The design of a concentric castle has two curtain walls, the outer wall lower than the inner wall. In addition to the extra curtain walls, these castles would have rounded towers occupied by defenders and water surrounding the castle.

• William now had two realms to run – England and

Normandy.

• William faced multiple threats during the first few years of

his reign in England, not just from the Anglo-Saxons, but

from his Norman earls too. These rebellions broke out in

different parts of England.

Keeping control method 3: Destroying rebellions

Why do you think William faced rebellions during the first several years

of his reign?

I think William faced rebellions during his reign because…

If someone was rebelling against your rule, how would you respond to

the fighting?

I would respond by…

One rebellion that was considered as controversial was the Harrying of the North. William had had enough of the Northern Englishmen disliking him as the new King of England, so he decided to teach them a lesson.

Task: On the next few slides, can you read through the story of the Harrying of the North, answer the questions about the sources, and decide how the Harrying of the North has been interpreted by scholars?

StoryTask: Read through the information about the Harrying of the North. As you read the information, bullet point 1/2 key points from each paragraph.

The Harrying of the North 1069

The Harrying of the North was a campaign of brutal violence carried out in the North of England by William the Conqueror to stamp in his authority on the region. When the North was unwilling to accept William’s rule, he marched up to the North of England and brutally dealt with the Northerners.

After William had seized the crown of England and secured the South of England, he attempted to establish control in the North by building castles and garrisons, however, this had been undone by Danish invasions and multiple rebellions from English earls.

William thought that harsher measures were needed. In 1069 he marched up again with an army, only this time he made sure that he had absolute control over his northern lands. This was known as the Harrying of the North.

William sent out troops to kill people, burn buildings and crops, smash tools, take money and destroy large areas of land. Many people fled the North to avoid the killing and the famine. More castles were built, and the slaughter of the North had shown that William was in charge and no one would dare to rebel against him again.

Title of each paragraph

Summarise each paragraph in 1/2 bullet points

Sources

Now, read the sources and answer the following questions.

Source A

During winter the people of Durham

were slaughtered. It was horrible to

see. Houses, streets and roads

human bodies rotting as there was

no one left to bury them. People

died by the sword and starvation, or

left because of hunger… between

York and Durham no village was

lived in.

Symeon of Durham was Saxon Monk

chronicler at the time

Source B

“In his anger at the English Saxon

barons, William said that all crops and

herds, houses and food should be

burned to ashes, so that the people in

the North starved. The people who

then blame the barons for not

protecting them as they had promised.

That winter, a famine fell upon the

people, that more than 100,000 young

and old starved to death. I feel William

was harsh.”

Orderic Vitalis Diary –Orderic was a

monk (priest who was English but grew

up in Normandy after William left)

Source C

According to a chronicler, Orderic, William

bared all on his deathbed:

“I persecuted the Saxons of England in York

beyond all reason. They died because of me

and they were stabbed by my soldiers or died

as I starved them. My soul is stained with the

rivers of blood that I have shed.”

SOURCE D:

From the Bayeux Tapestry 1070 –

This shows William’s men sacking a

Saxon village .

4) The Bayeux Tapestry was created by William’s half brother, Odo of Bayeux. Can we trust this Norman view?

3) Did William regret what he had done? Do you think we can trust the evidence of the Chronicler, Orderic?

2) Does Orderic think that people thought William was to blame or did they play the blame on anyone else? Why would this be?

1) What were the consequences of William’s decision to show that he was in control of England?

1) I think the consequences of the Harrying of the North would be...

2) Orderic thought that people blamed….

I think the people would have blamed this person because….

3) I think we can trust/not trust the evidence from Saxon Chronicler’s view because….

4) I think we can trust/not trust the Norman’s view because…

Now, can you answer the questions?

1) Are these interpretations positive or negative views of William’s Harrying of the North?

2) Highlight two sentences which show they are positive/negative.

Scholarship

‘The Harrying of the North was the most notorious of the Conqueror’s career. ”Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty,” said the 12th century Orderic Vitalis. Some doubt that the king’s troops could have caused so much destruction in such a short space of time. Some have accused William of killing so many people, while others have insisted that this was a normal way for a ruler to make war.’ (M. Morris, 2013)

‘Over the course of a few weeks, William had not only demonstrated the punishment awaiting those who rose against him, but also put out any remaining hopes the rebels might still have of driving out the invaders.’ (J. Aitcheson, 2016).

Keeping control method 4: The Domesday Book

Look at the source and answer these questions:

1) What can you see in the source?

2) What do you think is happening in the cartoon?

3) Why do you think this might be happening?

How might William the Conqueror use a book to help him keep control of England?

I think William might use a book to help him because England because…

• William the Conqueror was keen to know all

about the country that he had conquered and

how much it was worth.

• In 1085, William sent officials all over England to

visit every village and ask a series of detailed

questions. They interviewed the priest, the

steward (the man who organised the farm work in

the village) and six elderly villagers in each village.

• The officials took a year to visit over 13,000

villages. Soldiers who travelled with them

threatened to kill people if they didn’t tell the

truth. A second group visited the villages later to

check the people had been honest.

What was the Domesday Book?

All the records from the village surveys were sent

to Winchester where one man wrote it all down

in Latin. The surveys filled two huge books and

contained approximately two million words.

The book gave William knowledge. Knowledge

was a powerful thing. It meant:

1) William could work out how much each

person in England could afford to pay in

him taxes.

2) William knew exactly how many people

could get to fight for him.

3) William could settle any quarrels over who

owned which bit of land.

Task: Read through the points of the Domesday Book. Can you explain which points were useful and which points were not useful?• It records only the men in a village, not the women, children or relatives.• It tells us that most of the land was owned by 200 Normans, the Church or King William.

They had taken it from over 2000 Anglo-Saxons after 1066.• It does not tell us how ordinary people thought, what their homes were like or what

clothes they wore.• It does not include a survey of London, Northumberland or much of Northern England

and only some of Wales.• It showed that the total value of England was £37,000. This was a very large amount

considering £10 made you rich.• It showed how there were few towns, lots of meadows and woodland, plenty of farm

animals and most people worked by farming the land.

I think the most useful points of the book were…

This was because it allowed William to control England as…

I think the least useful points of the Domesday Book were…

This was because….

Write two PEE paragraphs explaining how effective William the Conqueror’s methods were of keeping control in

England.

One method that William the Conqueror used to keep control of England was…

For example, he solved his problem of… by…

(Describe in detail using the information from the work you have just completed about solving William’s problems and how he kept control of England).

I think this method of control was effective because…

Another method that William the Conqueror used to keep control of England was…

An example of this method was… as it solved his problem of….. (describe in detail how this method allowed William to keep control of England).

I think this method was more/less effective than…. because…

Overall, I think William’s methods of control were wholly/partially/not very effective because…

How did religion influence every day medieval life?

After the Normans had settled into England, religion had changed and impacted everyday life. In every town that there was a church built which would be the biggest building in that town. It was a Catholic church because the Catholic religion was the only one in England at that time. Nearly everyone went to the church services, so the services had to be big. Most people in the Medieval England lived their lives fully believing God and heaven and hell. They strongly believed in Catholicism and its values that would help them get to heaven and avoid going to hell…

Task: can you think of three examples that would send you to heaven and hell?

Heaven

•

•

•

Hell

•

•

•

The Normans made some drastic changes to religion and the churches in England which all Anglo-Saxons had to abide by. The Normans were determined to make sure that everyone would get into heaven as well as make sure that they had full control of England.

The Normans introduced different ways to show how people could get into heaven and avoid going to hell. These would be going on a pilgrimage, buying your way into heaven, visiting your local priest or becoming a monk or nun.

PIN mark your paragraph. Your teacher will look at this paragraph and PIN mark it too.

I have identified one method of how effective William the Conqueror was at keeping control of England.

I have described one how effective William the Conqueror was at keeping control of England and why this was effective.

I have explained why this method was effective for William to keep control of England.

I have described two reasons how William’s methods of control were effective.

I have reached a judgement as to how effective William’s methods were for him to keep control of England with a balanced argument.

Ways to get into heaven How might this help someone get to heaven?

Going on a pilgrimage• People believed by going to a holy place

or touching a holy object, this could help you get to heaven.

• The further and harder you travelled on a religious journey, the sorrier you showed yourself to be.

Buying your way into heaven• Rich people paid for colleges to be set

up where people did nothing but pray for their soul.

• People bought their way into heaven. This was meant to free people from their sins and go straight to heaven when they died.

Visiting a local priest• Priests were meant to help people live

good lives• Priests encouraged people do good

things e.g. helping the sick and homeless.

• People would confess their sins to a priest at a Mass every Sunday, and he would forgive them.

Becoming a monk or nun• They took vows not to marry, have no

belongings and live simple lives.• A nun or monk’s daily life was lived by

strict rules. They were expected to pray for long hours each day

How did the Normans influence religion in England?

What happens when you challenge a King’s religious authority?

Over the next 100 years, the Church became very powerful in England collecting taxes from the Anglo-Saxons and Normans. After William the Conqueror’s reign ended, many of the kings who succeeded him thought themselves just as powerful as the Church. King Henry II of England (1154-1189) decided to challenge the Church’s power as he wanted more power for himself. This then led to a dispute involving the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and four knights…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JczRpnjNKwc

Task: Watch the video below and take notes in the table below to find out why there was a conflict between the King and the Church.

Who was this person?

Did they upset the king or the church?

What did they do to upset the king/church?

Henry II

Thomas Becket

The Four Knights

Who do you think was responsible for Thomas Becket’s death in 1170?

Read the evidence below. Sort the cards out by deciding which cards suggest that Henry II, Thomas Becket or the Knights were to blame for Becket’s death in 1070.

This evidence will be used in your final extended writing task.

He wanted to control the Churchbecause it had more power thanhe did in Medieval England

Shouted “Will no one ridme of this troublesomepriest?!”

Appointed three bishopswhilst Becket was in Francefearing for his life

Overheard the King shouting androde off to Canterbury as a result.They thought that the King had giventhem direct orders

Abandoned his rich lifestyle andbecame very religious. He dedicatedhis life to the Catholic Church and tothe Pope

Refused to get rid of thechurch courts as requested

Broke into Canterbury Cathedral,found Thomas Becket and sliced offthe top of his head with their swords

Was disloyal to his friend. For example, herefused to get rid of the Church courtswhich had not been punishing members ofthe Church correctly

Fled to France because hefeared for his life

Promised to return to England and behave asrequested but as soon as he returned heexcommunicated three bishops. Excommunicationmeans cutting a person off from the Church and wasseen as horrific in medieval times

Made Thomas Becket Archbishop ofCanterbury. Becket had previously beenhis Chancellor and had helped his run thegovernment. He thought he could betrusted

Perhaps killed ThomasBecket to win favour withthe King

Thomas Becket

Henry II The Knights

I think ….. was responsible for Thomas Becket’s death in 1170.

The evidence I have that suggest this is….. (use the evidence from the video and card sort to describe your evidence).

This explains why… was responsible for Becket’s death because his actions led to….

I also think that ….. was responsible for Becket’s death.

The evidence I have that suggest this is…..

This explains why… was responsible for Becket’s death because his actions led to….

Overall, I think the person that was mostly responsible for Becket’s death was… (this should be the person from your first paragraph). They were more responsible than…. because….

Write two PEE paragraphs explaining who you think was responsible for Thomas Becket’s death in 1170.